The Einzbern Sisters
by Admiral Valerian
Summary: "Dragon's fire flows through my veins, a sacred blessing from the stars of Draco...lives of falsity and illusion bend to my will, never to know true being...all of Heaven and Earth shall be made one by the power of Gravitas."
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Fate, and this work is merely a creative and absolutely non-commercial exercise on my part.

The Einzbern Sisters

Chapter 1

Twin ranks of Homunculi stood at attention, flanking the aisle that led to where a displeased-looking Jubstacheit von Einzbern waited, gleaming halberds at the ready. Flanking the Lord of Einzbern the other ranking members of the House of Einzbern looked on impassively, while behind the Homunculi many other members of the House of Einzbern waited for the result of this apparently rash act of homecoming. Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel von Einzbern walked up the aisle, followed by four Homunculi servants carrying between them a massive, reinforced, rectangular crate. There's a saying that appearance can be deceiving, but not this time: Jubstacheit was not pleased in the very least.

Irisviel was meant to die and become a vessel for the Holy Grail, and yet there she was, walking towards him with that admittedly formidable spell-caster from Japan. A flash of movement caught the old man's eye, and for the first time he noticed the little girl holding onto Irisviel. She was well-dressed, and for a moment Jubstacheit wondered what Emiya was thinking picking up a waif in his homeland. If he seriously thought that he and anyone with him would be welcomed with open arms despite his apparent failure, then Emiya was in for something else. Then something caught his attention: the girl's eyes or rather her irises were red.

Perhaps she was a Dead Apostle? If so, then Emiya had a lot of nerve bringing such an abomination into Castle von Einzbern. Or, could the girl be another spawn of his and Irisviel? That couldn't be right seeing as the girl was much too old for that. He decided he would find out soon enough, as both Emiya and Irisviel had arrived before him and gave a polite bow while the little waif looked around in bemusement and not a little fear.

"So, you have returned." Jubstacheit said in a neutral tone. "Where is the Holy Grail as promised?"

In response, Kiritsugu looked at Irisviel, who nodded back and turned to the Homunculi behind them. The four lowered the crate onto the ground and opened it, letting a silvery light blaze forth. Gasps filled the hall, and even the normally stoic combat Homunculi's eyes widened as they felt the power of the item within the crate. Jubstacheit all but ran to see what lay within the crate, followed by the other ranking von Einzbern. Within the crate lay a triangular solid forged out of polished crystal, shining from within with a transcendental light. Jubstacheit let a hand pass through the light flowing from the crystal, and quickly realized that it wasn't light at all. It looked like light, but it felt like both gas and liquid at the same time, and something else that he could not, and would never truly know. Finally, his hand shaking, he touched the crystal, and he knew that at long last the von Einzbern had finally won a Holy Grail War. This was the Lesser Holy Grail, imbued with the power of seven fallen Heroic Spirits, power enough to rip open the walls of reality to open a gateway to the Root. "…it's been so long…" he whispered. "…but I can finally touch it!"

Then he straightened, and began to laugh. He laughed a loud and powerful laugh, before turning to a wary Kiritsugu and Irisviel. "Well done my children." He said, placing a hand each on one of their shoulders. "Welcome home, my son and daughter."

* * *

"Um, you're my sister right?" Illyasviel asked the girl their parents had brought back with them. The two of them were in the gardens of the castle, some distance from where the adults were talking. Some part of Illyasviel was jealous of someone else becoming part of her parent's lives, but for the most part she was intrigued by this seemingly scared child sitting beside her.

The girl nodded before replying "My name is Anissina."

"It's nice to meet you, Anissina. I'm Illyasviel, but you can just call me Illya."

"But you're three years older than me; I'm six and you're eight." Anissina protested. "I can't just call you by name. How about I call you 'sister'?"

Illyasviel looked thoughtful for a moment, before she beamed at her new sister. "Okay, that sounds fine." The other girl smiled back, and the two sat in companionable silence before Illyasviel broke it.

"Anissina…what were you doing before you met mom and dad found you?" she asked.

"I don't know." Anissina replied. "I don't know who I was, where I'm from, or what I was doing. The first thing I remember was mother holding me wrapped in a towel, speaking to another woman. I can't remember what they were saying because I fell asleep…"

Anissina couldn't finish what she was saying because at that moment Illyasviel hugged her tightly, unable to resist comforting her new sibling from the sad and lonely tone of her voice. "It's alright, you don't have to remember. If mother and father say you're my sister, then you're my sister. That's all that matters."

"…sister…" Anissina whispered, before returning Illyasviel's embrace.

* * *

"So, the Servant Caster took Irisviel hostage, manipulating you into using Sabre to crush the Tohsaka Archer before being crushed by Berserker, which had been subverted by Caster. Then Berserker killed Caster before committing suicide, completing the Holy Grail. Is that about it?"

"Yes, that's pretty much what happened at the end of the war." Kiritsugu confirmed the old man's summary of the report.

"That doesn't explain the child though."

"Caster pushed her onto me." Irisviel cut in. "She never said who she was, but she was clearly a master alchemist and magus. She was able to transfer all of the Lesser Grail's functions from me onto that…thing. Then once I had regained consciousness, she told me to take care of the girl and that her talents would be more than enough for her to considered adoption into House von Einzbern."

"Intriguing…" Jubstacheit mused. "What's so special about the girl then? If I'm going to consider letting you two formally adopt her, then she has to have at least some redeeming factor."

"I've already run a check on her." Kiritsugu said, sitting back in his chair, his gave shifting to where the two girls were apparently playing tag some distance away. "She doesn't have magic circuits; she has a magic core instead."

Jubstacheit's eyes lit up. "Only dragons' descendants possess magic cores. Their rarity combined with their superiority to generic magic circuits make them very valuable." He ventured, and Kiritsugu nodded his assent.

"Her Origin is 'spirit'." The Magus Killer continued. "It's not very rare or unique I admit, though it can be useful. However, she possesses an affinity for all five Elements, making her an Average One. Combined with all I've said thus far, she could easily qualify for a blue Colour designation."

Jubstacheit would be grinning by now, if he'd ever deign to do anything so inelegant. "But that's not all, is it?"

"No…" Irisviel said, shaking her head. "…she possesses the Sorcery Trait 'Gravitas', which would allow her to use gravity-based high Thaumaturgy. She also possesses Mystic Eyes of Enchantment; all in all, with proper training, I'd say she'd qualify for a Noble Colour by the time she's reached maturity."

Jubstacheit laughed heartily. Afterwards, he lowered his gaze onto two other items lying on the table before him. One of them was a notebook, filled out with complex conceptual diagrams and alchemical formulae and notations that would be worth a fortune to the right buyer, and massive advancement for the von Einzbern faction in Atlas. The other was a compact case containing a newly-created Crest with forty circuits, which would be expected from a fifth-generation family. Apparently Caster wanted it given to the girl, though Jubstacheit would see what was kept in the Crest first before letting her have it. All in all, Jubstacheit strongly suspected that whoever 'Caster' was, she was definitely stacking the deck in favour of both that girl (whom Irisviel had named Anissina) and House von Einzbern. Given that Caster no longer existed in the world, and as such had nothing further to gain, the old man suspected involvement from a certain vampire in the whole matter. Still, it wasn't so bad; Zelretch may think of himself as funny, but his little jokes always did turn out for the best.

"Very well…" Jubstacheit said while nodding. "I will allow Anissina to be adopted into the family. I will also allow Illyasviel to be modified to allow her to live a normal life. Furthermore, I will allow you Irisviel to form a new branch of House von Einzbern on the condition that Kiritsugu Emiya has his operations as an assassin moderated. While I or the rest of the family have no problems with his methodology or operations, as a member of this family a certain amount of tact is needed. Will this be acceptable?"

Kiritsugu didn't look too happy at the idea of being placed under the scrutiny of the von Einzbern, but a pleading look from his wife in the direction of the two girls playing in the distance was enough to force his hand. "It is acceptable, Lord von Einzbern."

* * *

"Good morning, young Anissina. My name is Maximillian von Einzbern, and I will be your magecraft instructor." Maximillian introduced himself to his newest ward, which was looking up at him with curiosity evident in his face. That was good, from what he'd heard the girl had been rather timid in the first month she'd spent in the castle, though she had begun to show signs of life since then. It wouldn't do for one of the von Einzbern name to have a timid disposition; they were nobility, and had to compose themselves as such.

At first, Maximillian had been rather displeased at the idea that he had to instruct a waif that had apparently been picked up on a whim by the members of the newest branch of the family, but upon hearing of her assets, had done a complete about face. This girl had the potential to attain a Noble Colour, and Lord Jubstacheit wanted to milk the resulting influence for everything it was worth. As if the implied threat of potentially and fatally crossing the family head by refusing/sabotaging the girl's training wasn't incentive enough (to say nothing of the fact that the Magus Killer was Anissina's adopted father), there was also the fact that as her instructor if, no when she finally attained a Noble Colour, his own standing in the Clock Tower would increase. Naturally, he accepted the role with all the enthusiasm he was capable of. There were precious few of their family in the Clock Tower, most going to join Atlas instead, and as such he would be among the few in prime position to reap the rewards of his new student's future influence.

"Will my sister learn magecraft as well?" Anissina asked, and Maximillian shook his head before giving a reply.

"Yes although she'll be learning a different form of magecraft than the one you'll be learning. Anissina, did you know that your sister is a Homunculus?"

"…yes."

"Good; as a Homunculus, she has a lot of magical potential, but…well let me put this way. If a magus is a Human with the ability to control magic, then a Homunculus is a form of magic with the ability to control a Human body. Do you know what that means?"

"It means that her powers are different from a normal magus?"

"Correct; she'll need to learn a more customized form of magecraft than the one you or I or most magi are using. Now then, moving on can you tell me what magecraft is?"

"Magecraft or Thaumaturgy is the study of miracles and how they may be replicated…"

* * *

"How is the girl's education proceeding?" Jubstacheit inquired while looking out the window at the fog-wreathed trees of the Black Forest, and Maximillian replied after a short moment to collect his thoughts.

"It's proceeding well." The girl was being educated in 'normal' magecraft; for all her potential, she was still not of the von Einzbern bloodline, and as such would not be taught the family secrets in alchemy. "As should be expected, she is proving herself both an adept student and a powerful magus. However…"

"…yes, go on."

"Based on my findings for the past two years, I believe that while her performance in normal, baseline Thaumaturgy far exceeds expectations of one from an unknown bloodline – even with her assets – she will most likely truly succeed in elemental magecraft. The sooner I can push her standard abilities to the limit, the sooner I can start to have to apply her Sorcery Trait."

"Very well, you have my permission to proceed to step up her training. But don't push her too hard; it wouldn't do to waste her potential. And inform me once you've begun unlocking her Sorcery Trait; that would be the good time to start her on more advanced forms of magecraft making use of her 'spirit' Origin."

"I understand my lord."

"Oh and one more thing: how's her character developing? I could ask Irisviel and Emiya, but you know how those two are."

"She's no longer as timid as she used to be. She's beginning to act like an aristocrat by this point, although she knows her place as is proper. However, she is very close to her sister, and I would say that they complement each other very well."

"Oh?"

"Illyasviel has a…manipulative and somewhat vicious streak to her personality. While I wouldn't say that Anissina doesn't have a certain degree of cruelty – which she does seeing as she is one of us by upbringing and name – she is more direct than her sister. What her sister lacks in directness she makes up for it in spades, so to speak."

"I see; very well that will be all Maximillian."

"Yes my lord."

* * *

"Dragon's fire flows through my veins, a sacred blessing from the stars of Draco…" Anissina spoke the first part of her aria, before firing off a blast of fire from a hand and incinerating several piles of hay a good distance away. Nodding in satisfaction, she activated her newly-implanted Crest to enhance her magecraft, and fired off a bolt of lightning. The lightning arced from pile to pile, leaving smoking ash and cinders behind it.

Anissina grimaced as she deactivated both her Crest and core; she was used to the burning pain whenever she triggered her core, but the Crest was a different matter entirely. "Anissina…" Irisviel called out behind her, and Anissina turned and walked back to the pavilions under which the family would be celebrating Midsummer tonight. "…stop playing around and help with the preparations. Don't go off shirking on your chores; that's very bad form."

"Yes mother." The twelve year old replied, glaring at her fourteen year old sibling who laughed as passed by pushing a cart loaded high with silverware and china. "Will father be here tonight?"

"No, unfortunately he's still in Central Asia right now." Irisviel replied, sighing somewhat sadly. "The Dead Apostle he was hunting down managed to avoid getting cornered, so Kiritsugu is still hot on his trail."

"I see…"

"Don't worry Anissina. At the latest he'll be home for Christmas, so just focus on your responsibilities for now, and enjoy the festival tonight."

* * *

Kiritsugu looked out over the ballroom floor, watching as his two elder children interacted with the rest of the guests. Illyasviel at eighteen was already very beautiful, and while she looked like a virtual carbon copy of her mother, personality-wise she was almost the opposite. True, she was very protective of people close to her, but to others she was manipulative and dangerously vicious to her enemies. Jubstacheit was very proud of her, and had drawn up plans to give her additional diplomatic and political education, intending to have become one of the family's liaisons with the other noble families and magical institutions.

Anissina had her own idiosyncrasies, but unlike her sister had little patience for politics and manipulation. She was a magus to the bone, relishing the searing pain of prana as it flowed like molten iron through her flesh, of mysteries becoming real at her beck and call, of pushing her mind to the limits of sanity through the studies of metaphysical concepts and form. Jubstacheit was equally proud of her, especially after her recent acquisition of the Noble Colour of Diamond.

But in spite of their differences, the two sisters were very similar. They were reflections of each other, just not following each other's movements. Both favoured dark colours, Illyasviel favouring violet while Anissina favoured black. Kiritsugu sighed; he had heard rumours that the Fifth Holy Grail War might start early, owing to an unusual build-up of mana within the system, and Jubstacheit seemed to be drawing up plans already to send the two girls on the first real test of their abilities, which would determine their fate as members of the family.

* * *

"So our objective is to secure the Holy Grail, but if we are unable to neutralize the curse within the Greater Grail, we are to use the Lesser Grail to destroy it…" Anissina said in growing disbelief. The two sisters were currently enjoying their trip to Japan in comfort within a luxurious cabin in their private jet, while in the hold both their luggage and a prepared crystalline matrix were safely transported to their destination. "...is grandfather serious? The Lesser Grail holds a huge amount of energy, and using it in such a fashion…I wouldn't be surprised if takes out half the city with it…at least."

"I know Anissina." Illyasviel replied to her younger sister. "I've seen the Lesser Grail from the previous war, and I've felt the power kept within it. But grandfather intends to spin this whole thing in our family's favour."

"…how?"

"If we win, we're allowed any wish we desire so long as it does not compromise our family's interests. If we win but can't contain the curse, we can discredit the Tohsaka and the Makiri. Heads we win, tails they lose…its perfect isn't it?"

"What do we know of those two clans anyway?" Sabre asked, uncomfortable at the two princesses before her. Illyasviel was pretty much the way she remembered, a platinum blonde with crimson irises habitually dressed in purple clothing. Anissina though…Caster's pet project from the previous war, the girl at the time had shoulder-length black hair, which by now reached to her waist like her sister's. And like her sister, she had red irises, and favoured aristocratic attire, albeit in black as opposed to purple.

"Tohsaka has three members." Anissina replied, opening a nearby file. "Tokiomi Tohsaka is the current Clan Head, and despite having only eighteen magic circuits – which may be less as all indications state that he may have passed on his Crest – is a dangerously-skilled and powerful magus. Aoi Tohsaka is his wife…she's not worth our time, being a mere housewife."

"…except as a hostage." Illyasviel said with a smirk, and Sabre narrowed her eyes in displeasure at the idea.

"Rin Tohsaka is the Clan Heiress; forty magic circuits and an Average One…perhaps she just might be a worthy opponent for me…"

"Anissina you're a Noble Colour. There's no way that girl could stand against you."

"Perhaps…but I do hope she puts up a good fight before I kill her."

"Why don't you just turn her into your pet? You have Mystic Eyes of Enchantment after all."

"Oh I like that idea sister!" Anissina said with sadistic glee. "I've so little chances to use my Mystic Eyes."

"…the Makiri?" Sabre pressed, increasingly uncomfortable with the two sisters.

"Only two members…the heir is named Shinji, a worthless piece of trash with no magic potential. The other is Zouken or Zolgen Makiri, current Clan Head and a centuries-old magus of unknown but potentially deadly power. A walking corpse that even I have a low probability of defeating..."

"Nonsense…" Illyasviel scoffed. "…just force him into a trap and crush him. I don't know what father was thinking, letting that scum live during the previous war, but we have a good chance of ridding the world of that…disease."

"True…well, we have little information on the other Masters, but those two clans will have Masters for certain. Zouken will probably be the Makiri Master in this war, and either Tokiomi or his daughter will fight in this war."

"We'll just have to see if we can squeeze some information from Sister Hortensia once we arrive."

* * *

A/N

Yes, I drew the other girl's name from Anissina von Karbelnikoff, though this Anissina is a brunette as opposed to a redhead.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Fate, and this work is merely a creative and absolutely non-commercial exercise on my part.

The Einzbern Sisters

Chapter 2

The alarm clock rang shrilly, and after a few moments a slightly-emaciated hand firmly pressed down the alarm, cutting it off. After another moment and a groan of pain, Shinji Matou got up from his bed. He was used to pain, but he would never truly overcome it. Life had been an agony for him since he was nine, when the old worm had forced him to undergo spiritual surgery and be implanted with the magic circuits taken from the corpses of his father and uncle. Ten from the former, and twenty-five from the latter, bound to his soul thanks to the Sorcery Trait 'Inheritance' that he had gotten from his mother.

His mother…just thinking about her sent a pang of remorse through him. When he was younger he had resented her giving birth to him without any magic circuits, and had relished the idea of her screaming as she was violated over and over again in the pits beneath the family home as punishment for her failure to provide a proper heir. Now the memories filled him with revulsion and regret, as he realized that she must have known what fate had lain in store for her the moment she had married her father.

And not just his mother…before he had died Byakuya had once told Shinji that was supposed to have a step-sister – Sakura – formerly the younger of two daughters born to Tokiomi Tohsaka and adopted into the family as a sign of the old alliance between the Matou and the Tohsaka. However, she had disappeared at the height of the previous war, and despite Zouken's furious search for his heiress she had never been found. Initially Shinji had resented the idea of some adopted waif taking what was rightfully his, and had relished the idea of having her thrown into the pits beneath the house…until he too had almost suffered that fate. It was only the warnings from the spiritual doctors who had overseen his spiritual surgery that both Matou methods of 'training' and their magecraft would lead to his borrowed circuits self-destructing that had spared him from the torturous 'engraving' of the Matou mysteries directly into his body and soul.

Funny how experiences can change one's perspective…now Shinji was glad that his mother had been given a mercy kill by his father, and his step-sister had managed to run away or had been put out of her misery by one of the Masters from the previous war. As for the old worm…Shinji immediately dismissed all thoughts of vengeance. Even if he mastered Houjutsu – which would take decades more to accomplish – he doubted he could even have the slightest chance of winning against Zouken. The walking plague had been displeased at the idea, but had no choice but to hire an impoverished Japanese magus to teach Shinji Houjutsu so he could become a spell-caster and provide the Matou a Master for the Fifth Holy Grail War.

Frankly, that had puzzled Shinji, and more than a little made him apprehensive. As far as he knew, the Holy Grail Wars took place between fifty year intervals, and his heir would have been the one expected to fight. The idea frankly made Shinji shudder, as he had no desire to see the woman in his life or any of his children to be 'trained' in the Matou mysteries. He would have to escape the old worm before he was obliged to provide an heir, though he would have to achieve at least expert-status in Houjutsu before he could hope to achieve an independent future on his own terms in the world of the magi on his own.

"Is something the matter, Master?" Berserker asked, materializing beside her Master. Shinji had been made to summon her a year early, and he found himself missing his Houjutsu teacher, who had been dismissed until the war came to an end (assuming Shinji survived of course, and he knew the old worm had no intention of sparing his life should he fail to obtain the Holy Grail). As such, he kept the Mad Enhancement off and spent most of his time not spent on training with his Servant and was surprised to find a kindred spirit in her.

As he looked up at her crimson irises, he was reminded of the vivid dreams that he sporadically dreamt of. The fact that those 'dreams' were also her memories sent burning emotions of anger, revulsion, and shame through him. "I'm sorry…" he whispered while looking away and making Berserker tilt her head in a questioning fashion.

"…whatever for?"

"He…no one deserved what you went through…that bastard…I can't believe…something like that shouldn't happen…" Shinji continued to whisper, and Berserker placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't apologize, Shinji. Those people are dead. You aren't responsible for any of their actions, especially not…"

"You're too forgiving, Berserker." Shinji interrupted with a wistful smile, and after a moment Berserker smiled as well.

"Yes, I suppose I am. But that's all I have left of who I was, and I refuse to let it go."

* * *

"As the Overseer of this Fifth Holy Grail War, I recognize Illyasviel von Einzbern's claim as the Master of the Servant Sabre, and acknowledge their entry into the Fifth Holy Grail War." Caren Hortensia intoned formally, and both Illyasviel and her sister nodded in acknowledgement. Caren eyed the von Einzberns with an appraising eye; the two sisters were a formidable pair, and she felt the vast amount of prana the two young women possessed. The Church had learned of the completion and subsequent transport of the Lesser Grail from the previous war back to Germany, and it had caused quite a bit of an uproar. The more militant members of the Burial Agency and the Executors had advocated a strike against Castle von Einzbern with the objective of destroying the power source, unwilling to trust such a darkly-reputed family like the von Einzbern with such power, but ultimately cooler heads prevailed. Such an act would have had massive repercussions and most of the Cardinals and ultimately the Holy Father had put their foot down and had blocked any and all moves that would have resulted in a critical breach or perhaps even war with the Mages Association.

Why the von Einzbern never apparently used their spoils from the previous war was beyond Caren, though she didn't particularly want to know the answer. Or for that matter, why they wanted to risk so much to enter this war rather than cutting their losses and resting on their laurels; what really concerned Caren was how to avoid her predecessor's fate. Risei Kotomine had been killed by one of the Masters from the previous war, while his son…well, Kirei's body had never actually been found. Ultimately though, the gist of it was that Caren had absolutely no desire to share in their fates. The Church may have a desire to prevent those they found…questionable from obtaining the Grail, but Caren had by no means signed up for a suicide mission. As long as the winner was reasonable, then by all means let them have the Grail. What was the point of serving God when one couldn't enjoy his benevolence? Selfish it may sound, but that was ultimately her reasoning. The Church would probably be displeased, but hey, that was why she had covertly purchased an orange farm in Florida under a faux identity en route to Fuyuki. America…land of the free, home of brave…well, if things went south, then Olivia Orange would be coming home to her sunny orchard in Florida.

"Do you have any further inquiries?" Caren asked the two princesses, and the younger gave a nod.

"Can you tell us how many Masters and Servants have thus far been summoned?"

"Very well…I cannot tell you the details, but as far as I know including yourselves there are now six Servants and Masters in Fuyuki City." Caren replied, omitting the fact that the sixth Master was also the Servant Caster, and had exploited a loophole in the rules to summon her own Servant. It would be suicide to try and…correct the situation, so she might as well let the matter go…for now.

"I see…in that case, we take our leave Sister." The older of the two princesses replied and with a polite nod the two left followed by their Servant. Once she was sure the two had left, Caren withdrew to her private chambers and quietly phoned the Tohsaka. Officially they were allies, but personally Caren found Tokiomi a dull and unimaginative man and Aoi somewhat…weak-minded. Rin was a bit immature though she had promise…as for the other resident magi clan…Zouken ought to be burned and then have his ashes fired into the heart of the Sun (admittedly wishful thinking on her part), while Shinji...Caren shook her head and fought down the faint blush that threatened to appear on her face.

"Hello…yes this is Sister Hortensia. Mr Tokiomi I would like to warn you that the position of the Servant Sabre has been filled…yes, the Master was a von Einzbern princess like during the previous war…unfortunately I cannot confirm with complete certainty that the Servant is the same one utilized by Irisviel von Einzbern during the previous war…yes, there is only one position left open…I understand." Sighing, Caren put down the phone before striding off to find herself something to drink. Somehow, talking to Tokiomi always seemed to drain her of energy.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside Hortensia Church the two sisters were making their next move. "_We're going to ambush the last Master and Servant when they come to register?_" Annisina asked Illyasviel in German as the latter released one of her familiars – a black cat – to hide in some nearby bushes to watch the Church. Personally, she didn't like to use animals as familiars, and preferred golems instead.

"…_precisely._" Illyasviel replied in a similar fashion.

"_Will you be fighting or me?_"

"_Annisina, you know that if I fight, the result is rather…explosive. Unless you want Hortensia Church, no this entire area reduced to a smoking crater that is._"

"_In that case just leave the Master to me._"

* * *

Lord Waver El-Melloi II looked out over the gleaming night skyline of Fuyuki City, standing atop one of the skyscrapers and holding a glass of alcohol in his hand. Behind him Volumen Hydragyrum stood carrying a tray on top of which was an open bottle of Louis XIII de Remy Martin. It was very expensive alcohol, but very much worth it in his opinion, seeing as he had burned all his bridges and political connections just to chase after the impossible. And yet, as he had known it would, the King's advice proved true, and by his oaths of loyalty and friendship he had done the impossible.

"You've grown up haven't you, Waver?" Iskander asked, looking out over the city as well. "But to think that you would go this far…"

"I swore to stand by your side." Waver said, turning to face his King. "My allegiance never truly belonged to the Archibald. All I needed was the cover to await the chance to bring you back into the world so as to walk the Way of the King once again."

"Big words Waver…" Iskander said, looking up to the stars. "…but I'll believe in you as well. Bonds of friendship and oaths of loyalty transcend time and space, and now we meet again though by all rights I should not have remembered those events ten years ago."

"What will you do now your Majesty?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Iskander said, looking at his trusted friend and ally before raising his glass in a toast. "We shall ride in triumph once more, first on this battlefield, then across the world, and finally, to the stars themselves."

"Will you allow me to join you?"

"Why wouldn't I allow you?" Iskander asked in surprise, and a smirking Waver returned the toast. "I'll be counting on you, Waver."

"I will not fail you, my King."

* * *

"Good evening Tohsaka Rin." Illyasviel greeted a surprised Rin as she walked away from Hortensia Church in the middle of the night. Rin immediately stepped back as the von Einzbern princess appeared out of the fog and shadow, allowing Archer to materialize between the two of them. "My name is Illyasviel von Einzbern. I'll be honest with you and say that I find myself…disappointed. To think that you would be the last to summon a Servant when the Makiri had summoned theirs a year ago…well no matter. Your Servant falls here…Sabre!"

With a flash of light and a burst of wind, Sabre materialized and immediately went onto the offensive, Invisible Air arcing down on a very surprised Archer who barely managed to dodge the attack. Quickly projecting his favoured blades, Archer struggled to defend himself against the blonde woman. "_What's going on here?_" he angrily thought to himself. "_First Rin is the last to summon a Servant, then Kirei is apparently dead – not that that isn't a bad thing – and has been replaced by that creepy priestess, but now an adult Illya with Sabre as her Servant? This is completely insane!_"

"What a pathetic display…" Illyasviel sneered as she observed the battle, causing Rin to bristle.

"Don't get so arrogant von Einzbern." Rin snarled, drawing an amused smile from the blonde princess. "We'll be fighting as well, and if I take you down then your Servant falls with you."

"Such spirit…" Illyasviel coolly applauded. "…perhaps you aren't a total loss after all. But your opponent will not be me…"

"No, Rin Tohsaka's opponent will be me: Anissina von Einzbern." Anissina cut in, stepping out of the fog and shadow as her older sister stepped to the side and continued to observe the battle between the Knights of the Bow and the Sword. "Good evening, Tohsaka princess. I have to come to claim your head. I certainly hope you can put up a good fight." She said with a bow, and twirling her mystic code – a silvered baton sporting the von Einzbern emblem on each end – between the fingers of her right hand.

In response Rin pulled out several gems and ran to the side, intending to flank the von Einzbern magus. Anissina followed her with her gaze and an amused smile, slowly rotating on the spot and watching as Rin softly whispered her aria and the gems in her hand began to glow a brilliant blue.

"…all of Heaven and Earth shall be made one by the power of Gravitas." Anissina whispered, before waving an arm as Rin fired off a concentrated bolt of ether at her. The bolt exploded against her gravity field with no effect, but Rin was still moving and casting, before firing off another bolt, this time with twice as much power…once again to no effect.

Apart from wiping Anissina's smile off of her face that is. Her gravity field had held, but Anissina had felt the power behind those attacks; the first one would have caused significant concussive damage, and the second would probably have killed her. Rin continued to attack from multiple directions, blasting her with ether shots, but Anissina blocked them all with her gravity field.

"Dragon's fire flows through my veins, a sacred blessing from the stars of Draco…" Anissina whispered, charging a ball of fire at the tip of her baton. The ball then began to rotate at an increasing rate, increasing in heat and density until it became an incandescent sphere of plasma. Then dispelling her gravity field, she used gravity control and reinforcement to move incredibly fast for an instant, appearing behind a shocked Rin. Smirking, Anissina fired her plasma bolt, decimating the area surrounding her opponent.

"Rin…!" Archer shouted in alarm, barely dodging an attack from Sabre. "Damn it! I am the bone of my sword…"

Anissina held out her left hand palm downwards, and made an upward pulling motion. The grass at her feet wilted and turned brown and the fog swirled around her as moisture collected and froze to form three gleaming blades of cold ice. With an imperious wave of her baton, all three blades leapt forward towards a singed Rin as she jumped clear of the blast zone. Rin's training in martial arts would prove her salvation however, as she successfully danced her way around the frozen bombardment, the icy blades shattering against the ground without hitting their mark.

"Not bad at all..." Anissina conceded, as she held her baton vertically before her and lightning danced and formed a dome around her. After another moment, the lightning lanced out, arcing through the air towards Rin. Rin again managed to dance her way clear, but was unable to counterattack with the lightning arcing around her as it sought to strike her down as per its mistress' will.

Whether or not it would have eventually struck her down would have to wait to be answered however, as Archer was finally able to get some distance between Sabre and himself. Throwing his blades, they boomeranged towards Rin and Anissina; the former struck the lightning and exploded, knocking Rin back into safety while the latter smashed into a surprised Anissina's gravity field. The field held only for a second, but the white blade cut finally managed to cut through.

Archer moved like the wind, placing himself between Rin and the sisters. Sabre did likewise, while Anissina glared at the enemy Servant. "Did you notice, sister?"

"Yes I did. The gravity field held out briefly against the Servant's attack, but even so, modern magecraft should not be capable of stopping a Heroic Spirit's Noble Phantasm."

"In other words…" Anissina continued. "…it wasn't a real Noble Phantasm. That bastard is using fakes."

"So it would seem." Illyasviel concurred before closing her eyes and turning away. "I'm bored, so let's go home Anissina, Sabre."

"Are you running away?" Rin taunted, and Anissina chuckled in response.

"Isn't this better for you? The way you are now you're not a real challenge for me. Return to your father and have him beef up your training. The way you are now, you are going to die."

"Your skills are commendable…" Sabre said to Archer before raising her invisible blade in salute. "…next we meet I hope to face your true weapon. Falsified Noble Phantasms do your skill a disservice." With those words, Sabre followed the sisters and vanished into the night.

* * *

"Yo…" Lancer greeted Shinji Matou and his Servant as they waited in the park near the school. "…I gather you're the Master from the school?"

"That's right." Shinji replied coldly as Berserker protectively took her place before him. After a moment Bazett Fraga McRemitz appeared behind Lancer.

"…a child?" she whispered, surprised at Shinji's seeming age. No, there was no doubt about it her opponent was undoubtedly an adolescent. As such, she was very much concerned to see the patches of silver across his hair and the unconscious flickers of pain that came over his body every now and then.

"Now that you've finally shown yourself I guess it's time to fight huh?"

"Wait, I want to…" Bazett began but Lancer eagerly took his stance and interrupted "You got that right kid!"

"Go Berserker!" Shinji ordered, activating Mad Enhancement. Berserker screamed in insane fury, the flickers of reason in her crimson irises vanishing as she charged and tendrils of cloth flickering with unholy light unwrapped themselves from the black robe she wore.

"Let's do this!" Lancer shouted, and leapt forward to meet his enemy's charge.

* * *

A/N

Care to take a guess as to who Berserker is?


End file.
